Vandals strike Head On Photo Festival at Bondi Beach

The Head On Photo Festival, Australia’s premier photography event, was targeted by vandals late last Friday night, leaving organisers and the arts community devastated.

Visitors to the iconic Bondi Beach promenade on Saturday morning (November 29) were met with the sight of several outdoor exhibition panels defaced. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, with offenders spraying paint across exhibition structures along Queen Elizabeth Drive and Ramsgate Avenue.

The attack has struck a nerve in the creative community, casting a shadow over what is otherwise a celebration of visual storytelling.

For the photographers involved, this is a deeply personal blow. To have work selected for Head On is a career highlight – a chance to have one's art viewed by thousands in a spectacular public setting. For these images to be crudely painted over is not just property damage; it is an act of disrespect toward artists who pour their time, resources, and soul into capturing these moments.

The incident also highlights the immense challenges faced by the festival organisers. Running a major, free-to-the-public arts festival in Sydney is already an uphill battle. Between securing funding, managing logistics, and battling the elements, the team behind Head On works tirelessly to transform Bondi into an open-air gallery.

Festival Director Moshe Rosenzveig and his team have long championed the idea of bringing art out of elite galleries and into public spaces. However, incidents like this threaten the viability of such accessible exhibitions. When public art is targeted, it forces organisers to reconsider the safety and costs of outdoor displays, potentially robbing the public of these free cultural experiences in the future.

Waverley Council crews acted quickly to remove the graffiti, and NSW Police have established a crime scene, releasing CCTV images of two men they wish to speak to in connection with the incident.